Why do so many, with so little evidence, believe in God? All around the world, there are millions of people who believe on one level or another that God exists. They often visualise God as an old man with a long white beard who resides in ‘heaven’. They go to church or the mosque or the synagogue. They worship God. They believe that a book holds his words and base a huge part of their culture and social systems on what that book says. They believe that their beliefs are the only true beliefs and from that stance create vast human misery and suffering.

Right now, I don’t believe in any of that. I don’t believe that there is an entity, call it God, or Allah, or whatever, that exists independently of the universe and that created us and loves us and nurtures us. Nor is it listening when people pray.

I was challenged recently by a commenter (mormonsoprano) to this blog to start a practice of daily prayer to God. I was assured that if I was sincere he would listen and if I listened out for it I would hear his answer. I have though long and hard about this challenge and concluded that I will not do it, mainly because I will find it impossible to be sincere; how can I sincerely and without hypocrisy talk to an invisible supernatural entity which I do not believe exists.

Mormonsoprano says that when she prays God answers. I believe that she prays and then coincidentally something happens and that she puts a meaning on that event; namely that God did it to answer her. This naturally reinforces her belief in God.

I don’t need God to give meaning to my life. I am quite capable of doing that myself. I am self-conscious and have the power to make choices. I can choose my purpose.